Awaken from thy slumber

Not many buildings are more than two stories tall in the quiet,industrious town of Seward, Alaska. Aside from only a few hotels, theAlaska SeaLife Center, and the occasional luxury RV, the view from thecity onto the protected waters of Resurrection Bay remains relativelyunspoiled. On a good day, wandering eyes can gaze uninterruptedly downthe bay south to Cain’s Head, Fox Island, and Kayaker’s Cove with eventhe off chance of spotting a whale—that is of course when there isn’ta 274-ft research vessel docked at the head of the bay.

When in port, R/V Sikuliaq docks alongside the Seward Marine Center, asatellite extension of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College ofFisheries and Ocean Sciences. There, with her five white decks anddark blue hull, Sikuliaq is hardly a ship to be missed as she dwarfsthe city’s horizon much like the seasonal cruise ships further to thenorth near the main boat harbor. Upon descending the city’s smallhillcrest to the south, she comes into view at the end of the road.Newer than any facility in town and fitted with the most recentstate-of-the-art scientific equipment, Sikuliaq is a sharp contrast tothe charming blue-collar quaintness of her home port. Her bow extendsbeyond the Center’s small dock encroaching into the deep fjord like aracehorse waiting for the gate to open. This is same image of awe,wonder, and excitement that greets each research crew who disembarksfrom Seward with Sikuliaq.

While Seward is technically Sikuliaq’s home port, her home resides atsea, a place she has been since May 31st with NPRB’s Arctic Programand a team of 20 scientists. Sailing into the Gulf of Alaska, aroundKodiak Island, and through Unimak Pass, Sikuliaq was a seven-day steamto the sampling locations in the northern Bering and southern ChukchiSeas. Laboratories were set up, mooring buoys configured, and new geardeployments tested along the way. For example, an instrument thatmeasures conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) called an Acrobatwas successfully towed at Sikuliaq’s stern to continuously sample atvarious depths in a yo-yo pattern. Retrofitted with mechanical wingsthat adjusts for pitch and throw, the Acrobat flies through the watercolumn collecting data that would otherwise require the vessel tostop. Now, along transect lines, researchers like Seth Danielson canobserve a more comprehensive view of the oceanography.

But the days leading up to sampling were quiet, composed, and filledwith anxious enthusiasm for science to start. That day came earlyyesterday morning like a douse of cold water to the face. The lull ofSikuliaq’s voyage was quickly transformed and jolted into action onthe 7th when we arrived at the first sampling location. A sedimenttrap was deployed at 5am, the ship’s main CTD cast at 7am, zooplanktonsampling, followed by a series of benthic and midwater net trawls. Theship’s deck was alive, thriving with science. Every member contributedlike a well-oiled machine into the early dawn of the second day. At2:30am the last of the sediment sampling crew made their way backthrough the Baltic Room and hung their Mustang suits to dry. They werethe last two on deck, lit only by the ship’s deck lights, workingfeverishly to prep the gear for later this morning.